#they arent beasts preying on humanity

[borderlinecloudless]

You love. You love humanity so fucking much. You hate yourself for all this love that makes you thrash out and grow teeth and fangs and apocalypses in your maw you love so so so so fucking much you just want to bite down and crack bone and draw blood and gorge yourself on the humans you love so much.

You hope they‘ll kill you. You hope the don‘t. You want to eat them. You want to be overcome by your beloved humanity.

You love them so, so much. You‘d kill for them, for yours, the ones you love. Who you want to devour.

[donghuamuqing]

Genuinely cant stand horror because im the worlds biggest scaredy cat but ive been looking into gemini home entertainment and now i cant stop thinking about a hawkins indiana version. A fake town in 1980s america with some dark force watching it from the shadows, taking people and killing them and forcing itself inside them, all while this lone laboratory attempts to neutralize the issue until the party gets involved. The government not doing anything to help hawkins so it seems like the residents are truly trapped in their own town while most arent even aware of this. The idea of being taken over and corrupted and made entirely different by something far away but still so close. Something crawling into your mind, tearing its way through your eyes and ears, some huge monstrous and unnamable beast in the sky looking down at you, unknowable, just watching. The whole thing with the flayed in season 3 reminds me of the fake people from gemini home entertainment. I think a really good au would be a series of home videos from the residents of hawkins documenting the strange and sudden demise of their town and their friends through forces more eldritch and horrific than they could imagine, but they think its just an earthquake or a fire. Maybe some psa’s from hawkins local news stations that start sending out unnerving messages about apocalyptic preparations and to not go into the forest and to watch out for your swimming pool at night. The home video aspect i think would do a lot to bring the horror to a more real level. The humans story from the non-understanding mind, a mind incapable of understanding, only falling prey to it

[splingus-dingus]

Hey yo, so I’ve been told I should do my nightly Vore ramblings on here since ya boy likes to be a chatterbox for all that goodness. So welcome I guess to night 1 of me screaming into the abyss.

Don’t you ever just want to be alone at night, with nothing surrounding you except the sounds of rushing water and swaying leaves, before you hear all of it deafened out by the loud booming steps of an approaching body, yet you could only wonder from where they were coming from, and if they were friend or foe.

As suddenly as the steps had appeared, they disappeared, leaving you in the quiet creek side, only the running water giving you any source of sound. Trying to return back to your simple admiration of the land, you turned to be face to face with a strange being, peering from the water’s surface, staring directly at you. You shuddered and stood up, feeling the reflective eyes of whatever lay in the water peer deeply into you, though....it didn’t seem malicious..? At least, you’d hope so, as it slowly lifted itself out of the water, towering over you, at least 15 feet, before walking forwards, water dripping in its path.

“You’re...really small, you know that, right?” Said the figure, as they slowly bent a knee infront of you, reaching up to wrap their hand around your shoulders and torso. “Ah, well, you’re the one that decided to stick around, why not give you the grand ole night tour~? Show you just how much really goes on in the dark....” it purées out, as it trailed its tongue against your neck, trailing up your cheek, leaving it covered in hot, drippy saliva.

You blushed faintly at the lick, astounding the beast, a snicker coming from deep within them. “Eh~? You liked that, little human~? Hehehe, you’re a little weirdo ARENT you? Enjoyed the feeling of my tongue pressed against your flesh, Mph....I wonder what other things I could do to make you simply Squirm. After all, I am going to eat you, and I will savor you. So my little prey, why don’t we skip getting to know each other and get to the part where I feel your hands deeply messaging my stomach?”

[terrortomato]

AUTISTICLY INFODUMPING ABOUT CROCODILES AND THE PICK 2 MEME

Absolutely livid at how underestimated crocodiles are in that pick two meme. You absolute fucking dumbshits think 10,000 rats, literally a species that survives mostly by excessive breeding and typically serves the purpose of being food for predators higher in the food chain, are going to suddenly become ravenous bloodthirsty tyrants and skin their prey alive with their shitty little front teeth that usually leave a little scratch, can defeat 10 crocodiles, an undefeated, armored apex predator species of 80 fucking million years. You would probably have more luck sending 100 horses to fight them you absolute fucking fridge temperature IQ brainlets.

Crocodiles are intelligent, tactical and cooperative hunters just as much as the lions and wolves on the list of options. They have extremely high aggression so they're perfect for a combat situation unlike the 10,000 rats or even the grizzly bears that people seem to fall for. Depending on when theyve had their breeding season, you may get the pick of the strongest dominant males, the survivors of the culling of breeding competitors. Around the breeding season of Crocs, male crocs tend to go absolutely fucking beast mode and achieve some really insane hunts. They're far less likely to retreat but they still properly evaluate their prey. They typically only retreat when theyve run out of stamina.

They're generally speedy on land but only for short distances, this is ofc because their hunting style is more stealth and surprise oriented - the speed is used for the final lunge. That being said, if this is some kind of battle royale then inevitably a crocodiles opponent will have to attack, it doesnt need to run at all, it can just wait stealthily like it normally does. Obviously if the battle is taking place near or on a body of water then all other opponents are done for. They can swim at about 20kmh effortlessly and for very long periods of time. The crocodiles preferred technique is maiming their prey and drowning them while ripping them apart all in one swift movement so obviously a body of water adds a massive advantage. Theres no out-swimming a crocodile and theres a very low chance of survival for pretty much every mammal.

On the topic of speed, despite their bulky appearance, they're extremely agile in close combat. Often once their opponent is close, their battle ends quick in the crocodiles favor because they can use the weight of their tails to whip their heads behind them should a predator attack from behind.

Also, saltwater crocodiles grow up to like 2,200 lbs. While this takes a toll on their stamina on land, it massively contributes to their superior ability to wrestle their prey. By catching their prey in their jaws and throwing their weight around, they rip their prey into chunks and crush its bones. They can also throw their weight around when galloping on land to help gain momentum, increasing their speed similarly to how a rabbit runs.

Crocodiles only have 24 teeth. Their only purpose is to grip prey and they do that extremely well, even if the prey is barely in their mouth. Crocodiles dont chew their food, they crush it with their jaws and rip it apart as mentioned above. I should probably also mention that THEY HAVE THE STRONGEST BITE OUT OF ANY LIVING BEING ON THE PLANET! Thats right! Stronger than a hippopotamus. That's approximately 3,700 lbs per square inch of force in just one bite, sometimes even more if it's a big saltie lad.

They have extremely strong bones structures on it's back called osteoderms on top of their dermal armor. THIS CAN MAKE THEM PARTIALLY BULLETPROOF!! Of course, whether its effective against bullets depends on the caliber of gun, the distance its shot from and where the shot lands on the croc. That being said, almost everywhere except its belly is covered in strong dermal armour. To get a clean shot, you need to have a high caliber gun, be relatively close (risky) and you can only one shot it if its exposing its belly or the side of its neck... which is not going to happen if its focused on you and not something above it. The hunter in this situation would definitely want to distract it with bait so they can sneak up close and get the shot.

The main challenges to the crocodile in this situation would be the 50 eagles. The odds are balanced out mostly in numbers here. A potential weak spot for the crocodiles here are the eyes. If the eagles were to go for the eyes, that would obviously be extremely risky given how close it is to the jaw. Not only that but Crocodiles can hold their breath underwater for an hour. Theres a chance that crocodiles could hold their own against eagle attacks for long enough before eventually landing bites on all 50 eagles. Itd be a lengthy, monumental task for only 10 of them though. With the eagles strength in numbers, one could lure the crocodile to jump up from water or land while other eagles could then attack its exposed belly. If this battle takes place on land, they could slash around the crocodiles throats. The numbers here lead more likely to an eagle victory, but a crocodile victory is not impossible.

I've seen some people claim that crocodiles are the weaker option because they're so close to the ground that you can just jump over them. This absolutely hysterical because you're jumping directly into their line of fire! Try to jump over a crocodile headed towards you and you're basically doing all of the work for them. But yeah sure dude! Why not shoot your shot :)

Now I think most people have come to the reasonable conclusion that almost every animal would probably die in this situation and the winner wouldnt be clear at all. Its true that it would mostly just be a loss for everyone. Crocodiles arent exempt from that likelihood. The 10,000 rats are obviously going to have more survivors however they provide absolutely no attack or defense capabilities so they're a useless option if you're picking a team to defend you. Also crocodiles can live up to 100 years old whereas rats live up to about 4 years. Should this battle take place over many years, the crocodiles would probably just live off eating the rats after the other predator species are taken down, making it the clear winner over the rats. Theres absolutely nothing a rat can do to harm a crocodile given how strong the dermal armour of a croc is. All rats can do is run away.

As for the rest, 10 is a very generous number of crocodiles given that you're only offered 1 human, 15 wolves, 7 bulls, 5 gorillas, all significantly weaker animals that the crocodiles could wipe the floor with in the animal kingdom.

The grizzlys normally would be a challenge but because the OP of the pick 2 meme underestimated crocs, we have 10 crocs and 3 bears. A swift bite to the leg of a bear and a heavy throw to the ground for it to be attacked by another crocodile would have the bears finished in minutes. The claws of the bear, blunt or sharp would be a tickle on a crocs armor. Normally blunt bear claw can crush skulls in a single blow. This wouldnt work on a crocodile anywhere near as effectively as crocodiles have an exoskeleton and one of the sturdiest skulls in the animal kingdom. A bear bite is weak as shit compared to crocs and it would be weak against a croc as well for reasons I just stated. A bear wouldnt want to get their head too close to a croc anyway because itd give the croc an opportunity for a single-bite kill around the skull and neck. Granted the bears are faster on land but they're not particularly agile in close combat. Usually this isnt an issue in the bears habitat but in the case of a crocodile, theyll get caught by those quick jaws. These poor bastards have to fight each other anyway in this scenario so the crocodiles would conserves energy by waiting for the bears to get close. In terms of temperament, grizzlies wouldnt go near crocs unless the crocs were actively threatening them. Even then, a heavy tail whip could stun a grizzly and some degree of hesitation or even a retreat. From the perspective of some massive hungry crocs however, 3 grizzly bears might look appetizing and with the unwavering gameness of locked-jaw male crocs, the bears would be fucked.

The 4 lions would be an even bigger challenge because lions are even faster than bears. Both are apex predators of their habitats so normally, it would all come down to who's habitat they're fighting on. That being said, theres been many records of large male nile crocs confronting entire packs of lions on land and coming out on top. And once again, the OP underestimated crocodiles. We have 10 crocodiles and 4 lions. The crocs clearly clap the lions here.

Overall, the strength is determined by how many encounter each other + whether or not the animals are injured or starved + the strength and defense of each animal. That being said its fucking ASTOUNDING to me that barely anyone picks the APEX PREDATOR FOR TENS OF MILLIONS OF YEARS, COMPLETELY UNEVOLVED SINCE, PERFECTED IN THE ART OF HUNTING AND STILL LOW RISK OF EXTINCTION over 10,000 small, defenseless, lower in the food chain animals that dont attack in the way people are hypothetically strategizing and are easy food for every other animal listed.

[voidselfshipp]

A New Beggining

Ok to rb

A/N: Possibly polyam relationshipp w/ multiple f/os.

♡~~~~~~~♡

Survivor entered the dropships bedroom area, her boots dragged on the floor, she tugged at her necklace, squeezing the locket.

--You must be the New legend-- Wattson said,approaching them-- welcome!whats your name?

--Jerico

--nice to meet you jerico!let me introduce you to the rest of the legends

Jerico quickly shook their head-- its been a couple of very rough days for me,ill go rest first...maybe later?

Wattson nodded pointing at the empty room,the curtain Wide Open, its basic and almost empty--thats your bedroom

--uh thank you--they Walked hunched trying to speed to her room,feeling Like everyones watching her.

They werent.

They finally closed the curtain and sighed in relief, unpacking a few things she could rescue before leaving.

Some books, clothes, and a family photo.

They held it between her hands with tears prickling at the corners of her eyes.

Suddenly two mewls come out of her bag as a black and a white cat jump out of It, transforming into two wolves.

They caressed under the animals' chin, they smiled-- Im alright...it still hurts-- they whispered.

After fixing her things she sat on the bed taking her shoes off, sighing as she touched the screen besides her bed.

" planet T-9

Heavily covered in toxic smoke, no survivors have been identified"

She squeezed the locket tightly--Please mom...dad be there...just you wait till I get more money,im coming...

She then fell on the bed her two wolves resting their heads on her chest.

Jeris hand caressed the black wolves pelt-- What is it void? Youve been very quiet

Void whined and closed their eyes.

--What do you say icaro?--the white wolf perked up--somebody seems lacking in the cuddles department

The black wolve grunted.

She chuckled and closed her eyes, quickly falling asleep.

"all that I remember was a loud noise and something that opened.

I was there laying on my small bed for maybe an hour before I felt someone picking me up.

I was hungry and cold.

i remember training with my parents,the wrestling the obstacle course,I remember laughing and goofing around with mom and dad

mom teached me her blacksmithing ways,I knew how to craft a sword, and I knew how to shoot a gun

Dad teached me about plants and animals, I had books and books of it

the older folks telling stories of our people, the festivals and the music

and I remember that day well

the town was in a panic, the creatures had gone mad and a war broke out

In the last instance of battle they took me away to safety and gave me a few things, the last thing I saw were my parents looking up at me, and then the smoke covered them

i screamed for help, I Cried and cried,just Like the last time I was in a scape pod like that"

Jerico jolted awake with a scream as tears ran down her face natalie busted in and sat right besides her--Are you okay?--her french accent seemed to snap her out of It.

--Can we talk about this later?

It was already dinner time when she woke up, as she Ate she sat right Next to Gibraltar--So...I think ill make it quick-- jer said-- recently...my planet broke out into a war...between humans and beasts...im the last one of my planet and i--, the last people I saw as I left were my parents, and im scared they arent in this world any more ...

Natalie scooted closer to survivor and hugged her tightly, she didnt fight back as she kept eating--Im sorry that happened to you mon ami

Gibraltar then patted her back--Dont worry, I bet your parents are still around,but if its any comfort you got us now!

Octane and mirage chirped in--Yeah compadre!-- Octavio said-- you got Us now and we are one hell of a family

Bloodhound who was quiet till now perked up-- I sense your family is important to you, so it is to me, togheter we Will slatra the beasts that prey on your home

--Hey would you look at that! You have a friend already!-- mirage said--Im Eliott by the way!

--nice meeting you eliott,im jerico

Out of the corner of her eye she saw revenant, a tall dark red bot look away, she had noticed the cold expression he had for the last couple of hours shift into something like compassion, but when they met gazes all he did was grunt and walk away.

After dinner bloodhound and survivor stayed talking in hounds quarters softly as the only thing that they heard was caustic working,octane playing games and they softly talking.

--How was it...--hound asked-- before the war?

--oh it was beautiful, we'd go on a weekly hunt with my dads best men, we'd have festivals twice a week to honor the hunt, id train most of the week and at night my parents and I would sit and eat dinner togheter

Bloodhound smiled under their mask and nodded-- that sounds like fun,what about...the festivals?

--We would dance and tell stories, eat till we explode and sing, Everyone even outsiders were welcome to participate,the older generations would tell stories of the gods

We danced all night under the stars barefoot, it was nice...

Hound was super excited to know more, they kept asking questions until both fell asleep,jerico rested her head on hounds shoulder, they arms loosely wrapped around her waist while their head rested ontop of hers.

Artur, void and icaro rested on their owners lap in silence as the moon moved on the Sky.

[rossbowkerdigitalart]

To me, one of the more important parts of my video game concept is the story, without it the planned trailer and the concept art doesn't mean much, to that end I wanted to do some research on the event in Norse mythology known as ragnarok, this is because the antagonists ofthe story are a cult that wish to bring on ragnarok, believing it will transform the world into a paradise. Of course I'd be taking liberties with the actual mythology so it would fit the mold of my story, but having a good grasp of the source material would help make my own story make sense.

Within the real world mythology of the Vikings, ragnarok was the cataclysmic destruction of everything in the universe, even the gods themselves. If you were to look at the tales from viking mythology as a linear timeline, ragnarok would naturally come at the end. To the Vikings, ragnarok was prophecy of an event that was to come at an unspecified and unknown time in the future, this had profound ramifications on how the Vikings understood the world in their time.

The word Ragnarok itself actually came from the old Norse word of ragnarök, meaning "fate of the gods." The event itself was referred to by a host of different names, such as in an apparent play on words, in some old Norse literature it was referred to as ragnarøøkr, meaning "twilight of the gods," as well as occasionally aldar rök, "fate of mankind," along with a host of other phrases and names.

The first sign of ragnarok the fimbulvetr, sometimes anglicised as Fimbulwinter, a great winter unlike anything the earth has seen. The winds would blow snow from all directions and the sun's warmth would disappear, plunging the world into unbelievable cold. This winter would last for three years without respite, mankind would be so desperate for food and other necessities of life that law and all morals would fall away, only leaving the struggle for survival. It would be the age of war, the string would survive.

Skoll and Hati, the wolves who had chanced the sun and moon across the skies since the beginning of time, will at last catch their prey. The sun, the moon, even the stars would disappear, leaving a dark void in the sky. The great tree Yggdrasil that hold the cosmos amongst its branches would tremble and all the trees, and even the mountains would fall to the earth. The chain that holds the monstrous wolf Fenrir would snap and the beast would run free. Jormungand, the might serpent that who dwells at the bottom of the ocean and encircles the earth, will rise from its depths, spilling the oceans across the land.

These convulsions would shake the ship Naglfar free from its moorings. This ship, which is made from the nails of dead men and women, would easily sail over the flooded earth. The crew of this ship would be an army of giants, creatures of destruction and chaos. And its captain will be none other than Loki, the traitor to the gods, who would have broken from the binds in which the gods had placed him.

Fenrir would run across the earth, his lower jaw against the ground and his upper jaw against the top of the sky, devouring everything in his path. Jormungand would spit his venom across the world, poisoning the air, land and water alike.

Sky would split and from the crack would emerge the fire-giants from Muspelheim. Their leader would be Surt, with a flaming sword brighter than the sun in his hand. As they March across the Bifrost, the rainbow bridge to asgard, the home of the gods, the bridge would fall and break down behind them. Heimdall, the divine sentry, would blow his horn to announce the time the gods fear most. Odin would then got to the head of Mimir for counsel.

Despite what the prophecies have said about the outcome of the fight, the gods would decide to go to battle. After arming themselves, they would got to Vígriðr, meaning "Plain where battle surges" to meet their enemies.

Odin would face Fenrir along with the einherjar, the host if his chosen human warriors that he had kept in Valhalla for that very event. Odin and his champions of men would fight with more courage than any others who have fought before. But this bravely would not be enough, Fenrir would swallow Odin and his men. Then one of Odin's sons, Vidar, would avenge him. On one of his feet would be the shoe that has been crafted for this very purpose; it has been made from the scraps of leather discarded by human shoemakers, and with it Vidar will hold open Fenrir's mouth. Then he will stab the wolf through the throat, killing him.

Garm, another wolf and the God Tyr would slay each other. Heimdall and Loki would do the same, putting an end to the gods treachery, but to great cost to the gods as it meant losing one of their best. The giant Surt and Freyr would also be the end of each other. Thor and Jormungand, the age old foes, would finally have a chance to kill the other. Thor would be successful in destroying the great serpent with blows from his legendary hammer, but the snake would have covered him in so much venom that he would not be able to stand much longer and he would take nine steps before falling dead himself.

After the mighty battle, the remains of the earth would sink below the waves and there would be nothing left but the void, making as though creation had never existed.

After this point in the tale, there are two outcomes that I could find; ragnarok is the end of all tales and the whole cosmos itself, but the other is a new, beautiful green world will rise from the water. Vidar, and 5 other gods: Vali, Baldur, Hodr and Thor's sons Modi and Magni would have survived the death of the old world and will live happily in the new one. A man and a woman, Lif and Lifthrasir, meaning life and striving after life, would have survived the cataclysm by hiding in a place known as the "Wood of Hoddmimir." These two would emerge from their hiding place and populate the land they find themselves in. This new land would be over looked by a new sun, the daughter of the previous one. And all of this would be presided over by a new, almighty ruler.

The latter opinion of how ragnarok would be resolved is the goal of the antagonists of my concept. They are what I'm referring to as the Cult of Permafrost and this cult wish to bring about the events of ragnarok so they can shelter themselves and emerge in the new world which would be a veritable paradise. They aim to accomplish this feat by following the instructions found within ancient tombs that were in turn found within ancient Norse burial sites.

The events of ragnarok would differ from the mythology though, the most drastic difference would be the gods themselves; the gods arent as the Norse mythology describes them, they're in fact a lot more livecraftian in nature. The gods are in fact completely alien, unknowable creatures which vastly go beyond our own comprehension, the very concept of dimensions do not apply to them, even visualising them for long enough, either by seeing or thinking about them would drive you mad. These creatures would be the basis of human religion, whether it be Norse, Aztec, Egyptian; it would all be derived from the existence of these beings.

The Cult of Permafrost in fact worship these beings, learning about them from the previously mentioned ancient tomes and the members known as the "high priests" would be the few that actually came into contact with these beings which often left them deeply scarred, though the cult sees this as a blessing instead of a curse.

Ragnarok wouldn't in fact be a battle like the viking's tales foretold, the entire event would actually be a lot more bizarre. Instead of a winter, Fibulwinter would be an instant freeze that would turn the oceans water to ice, people outside would also turn to ice and would shatter at the smallest impact, this would happen so quickly that everything would be normal and in a blink of an eye, everything would be converted in ice and snow. The initial freeze would quickly die and the world would be placed into a three year ice age, but more severe than any ice age ever seen, fire would refuse to burn and the sun would no longer provide heat until the sun would eventually disappear, along with the stars. It would not leave a void however, the black sky would instead have a dark purple hue and a subtle glow.

Earthquakes would follow as the cult's patrons, the unknowable beings, appeared in sky; their appearance would be so strange, so aberrant that the human minds failed to comprehend it. Their maddening affect would worsen the already violent conflict for resources as people began to destroy each other in their mad delusions. These earthquakes wouldn't make mountains collapse like the Viking tales prophesied, instead great, jagged monoliths would shoot through the ground towardd the sky in sharp angles.

These earthquakes would also break the ices that covered the seas and the oceans would convulce as the water spread across the land, leaving only the hills, mountains and the tall monoliths caused by the earthquake.

Ships that have previously sailed the ocean would sail it again in a ghostly form and anything they touched would turn to dust, be it animal or earth. The same would happen on the men and women that lived on the land as they began to walk the earth again, resuming their lives as if they had never been ended.

Space and time itself would begin to warp, took would slow and speed up. Visable ripples in the air would begin to float across the surface of the ocean and land. Items, people, buildings, even mountain would suddenly in random places before disappearing again. Black holes that warped space around them would begin to appear in the glowing purple sky as the cosmos began to deteriorate. From ripples in the air, unimaginable monsters would appear, killing anything in their wake.

The immosibaly large creatures that the cult so willingly worshipped would descend from their place in the sky and begin to wander the earth, paying no mind to the chaos below them.

The oceans, the land and whatever was left living would then experience the weather changing so rapidly that it could be captured with a blink an eye; the seas would begin to freeze once again before immediately boiling, then freezing, then boiling and on and on as meteors began to crash from the sky. As the large space rocks land into the seas, they would send title waves across what was left of the land, drowning it below the waves.

When only water is left on the planet, the ghostly figures from every point in time would continue their lives as the Cult's gods and the monsters lingered until the black holes in the sky expanded to encompass everything, leaving only those aberrant creatures, allowing them to recreate what they did to this world in whatever reality they would choose.

[viralhottopics]

Why wolves mate for life and 22 other interesting things to know about these animals.

In movies, wolves are often depicted as terrifying, snarling creatures that threaten our heroes.

What kid can forget the pack of growling wolves that chase Belle’s father right up to the Beast’s castle?

Authors such as Aesop, the Brothers Grimm, and Charles Perrault all wrote children’s stories where the “big bad wolf” was the ravening villain, willing to do anything to fill his belly even impersonate grandma for a chance to eat Little Red Riding Hood!

Over and over throughout history, literature, and movies, the wolf was used as a metaphor for trickery, evil, and cruelty. As a result, it’s easy to assume that these animals are actually something to fear.

But wolves don’t deserve this bad rap.

They are actually pretty amazing animals, and they play an important role in nature. For example, did you know that wolves can smell their prey from almost two miles away which is about 100 times better than humans?

Here are 23 other interesting and important things you might not know about the gray wolf:

1. Gray wolves are the largest member of the wild dog, or Canid, family.

Also known as the timber wolf, common wolf, or, in scientific circles, Canis lupus, the gray wolf is an ancestor to domesticated dogs. As adults, they can be four to six feet long and weigh up to 175 pounds.

2. Despite their name, they do not always have gray fur.

They can also have white, brownish-gray, or black coats.

3. They were once the worlds most widely distributed large mammal.

Gray wolves were found all across the Northern Hemisphere, including in North America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa.

4. But they lost much of their former range because of conflict with humans.

These animals were perceived as dangerous to humans and a nuisance to farmers, so they were often hunted, trapped, or poisoned. In the United States, a government-sponsored extermination plan at the beginning of the 20th century largely wiped them out from the Lower 48 states only about 10% of their former range remains in the continental U.S. today.

5. They are usually not dangerous to people.

Wolves are actually fairly timid creatures that would prefer to avoid people. Attacks on humans are very rare. In fact, there have been very few recorded wild wolf attacks on humans in North America. In the past 100 years, no lethal attack by a wild, healthy wolf has ever been confirmed in the Lower 48 states.

6. While we often picture gray wolves in colder places, they can actually live in a variety of habitats, from Arctic tundras to forests and mountains to prairies and grasslands.

But whatever habitat they are in, they still need access to a large area of contiguous land to roam with lots of prey. Wolves don’t like to stay in one place for very long.

7. Gray wolves are very social. They live, travel, and hunt in packs of seven to eight.

Each pack is usually led by an alpha female and male and is made up of their extended family, including pups and older offspring.

8. The alphas often lead the hunt for prey, choose den sites, and establish the packs territory.

How big one pack’s territory is, though, depends on how plentiful their prey is. Some packs occupy just 20 square miles, while others are known to roam over hundreds of square miles in search of food.

9. The alphas can mate for life.

Usually, only the alphas breed, in order to keep pack numbers down. They mate once a year, from late January through March, and the mother usually gives birth to four to six pups in a den about 63 days later.

10. When theyre born, wolf pups are blind and deaf.

And they only weigh about a pound. But they grow up quickly after about 10-14 days, they can open their eyes and ears, and by the time they are two weeks old, they are learning to walk (shakily). Then it only takes about another week for them to start venturing outside the den for the first time.

11. The whole pack helps care for the new pups.

The pups start off reliant on their mothers milk, but after about three weeks, they are ready to eat meat. Because they are too young to hunt themselves, all of the older pack members take turns hunting and regurgitating meat to feed the pups.

12. Pups only start learning to hunt with the pack when they are six months old.

They practice their hunting skills first by playing with both their siblings and with “toys” (bones and feathers). Then they start using the skills they learned from playing to hunt small animals before joining the pack on larger hunts.

13. When pups are fully mature, they often disperse from the pack.

Dispersing wolves have been known to travel 50 to 500 miles looking for a mate, open territory, or both. While dispersing, they usually travel quickly, as it is dangerous to be a lone wolf. One radio-collared Wisconsin wolf traveled 23 miles in one day.

14. Gray wolves have a complex communication system.

They communicate with each other through a range of sounds, including barks, whines, growls, and howls, as well as through body language, dancing, and scent marking.

15. Each gray wolf has a unique howl, which allows other pack members (and scientists) to recognize them.

This enables pack members to communicate with each other over long distances. Howls can be heard up to six miles away.

16. But they dont actually howl at the moon.

They are more active at dawn and dusk, though.

17. Wolves usually eat large hoofed mammals such as deer, elk, and moose.

But since taking down big animals can be dangerous, they usually hunt the old, young, sick, or injured ones so they don’t get hurt themselves. In some cases, they have been known to hunt livestock or pets which is part of how they originally got their reputation but only when their natural prey is unavailable, making such attacks relatively rare. One wolf is capable of eating 20 pounds of meat in one meal.

18. But they arent picky eaters.

They’ll also eat smaller prey such as beavers or rabbits, and they are known to scavenge. They even eat some insects, nuts, and berries.

19. They can survive more than a week without eating anything at all.

20. They can reach speeds of up to 40 mph when chasing prey.

But only for a short time. When the pack is on the move (not actively chasing food), they usually travel at 5 mph.

21. They are good swimmers, allowing them to chase prey in water, too.

22. Gray wolves play a key role in helping keep their ecosystems balanced and healthy.

Because wolves are apex predators meaning they are at the top of the food web they help keep elk and deer populations in check. This can help other plant and animal species thrive by preventing overgrazing or defoliation. Their hunts also provide “leftovers” for other scavenging wildlife.

23. Gray wolves need our help.

In 1978, the Fish and Wildlife Service listed the gray wolf as endangered in the contiguous United States, which makes it illegal to hurt or kill them. However, in recent years there have been a number of campaigns to de-list the wolf from these protections.

Gray wolves are still misunderstood and feared by people all over the country and the world. That’s why it’s important to keep dispelling myths about wolves because these animals are pretty amazing.

Read more: http://u.pw/2nCE96F

from Why wolves mate for life and 22 other interesting things to know about these animals.